April showers bring challenge to area tracks

April's showers may still bring May flowers, but in the meantime they've created muddy messes at area racetracks.

A good example of that happened over the weekend at Five Mile Point Speedway in Kirkwood. The track had to postpone three features in its season-opener because of soggy track conditions.

Officials hope to make those up this Saturday.

It's the type of headache promoters deal with every April. If the month is fairly dry, promoters can get a jumpstart on the season by being the first to schedule races. If it's wet — like it often is — and promoters still run races to try and appease fans, they run the risk of causing damage to a track — and the track's reputation — that can take weeks to fix.

So, as we look forward to this weekend, there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered.

Fonda Speedway in Fultonville will try to provide one of those answers when it attempts to start its season for the second time. New promoter and modified racer Matt DeLorenzo has created quite a buzz in the area with his work to spruce up the old fairgrounds track, which as recently as last summer looked like it could have been used to film the 1945 classic movie "State Fair."

DeLorenzo has given the Montgomery County Fairgrounds a makeover by fixing up the VIP areas and addressing some drainage issues that have plagued the track for years. He has also eliminated the no re-entry policy, which was an immediate hit with fans. Fonda was the only track in our area to have such a policy.

Now Fonda is set to open this Saturday with DIRTcar sanctioning in place, as well.

All four tracks in the Capital region are now DIRTcar sanctioned, meaning that tires used at one can be used at all four, which should make all four stronger.

Canandaigua Motorsports Park also is hoping to open on Saturday, following two postponements of practice sessions earlier this month.

Promoter Jeremie Corcoran said the track is not the problem. It's in good shape. But the pit area and parking lots suffered setbacks from the heavy snow on March 29. He said he is hopeful that he will be able to kick off the season Saturday.

What's in a name?

In racing circles, when a track changes its name, it often signals change. Dan Harpell said he hopes that's the case as he takes over at the track formerly known as Black Rock Speedway. Going forward, it will be called Yates County Speedway.

"You only get one chance to make a first impression," Harpell said. "We are letting everyone know that big things are happening and it starts with a new beginning; thus the new name, Yates County Speedway."

Harpell is still working on the 2014 schedule, but plans the first practice sessions for April 18 and 25. He's also added the Empire Super Sprints for July 18. It will be the first time the group has visited the speedway since 2011.